Red Flags To Be Aware Of In Health And Fitness And How To Spot A Bad Coach

If you’re new to the world of health and fitness, training with a coach, or just aren’t sure how to spot right from wrong, we can help. 

Falling into the trap of miracle teas or being convinced by promises of quick transformations can cause various ill-effects to your health, and will also make all the effort you’ve made feel like nothing. James and Sean share some things you need to be aware of in health and fitness as well as things to look out for while working with a coach, how to cut through the bullshit and know if your training knows their stuff.

Here are a few of the red flags you should question. 

Results depend on various factors; your training, diet, and metabolic rate. The number one thing you need to watch out for is when coaches begin to ‘promise’ you results, particularly with no explanations or caveats.

For James, the biggest red flag in coaches is that they’re promising the world to their clients without knowing them properly.

“Promises. People promising you the result, do you know like absolutely guaranteeing you the result. That’s a red flag for me. Someone that promises you a direct result, ‘I will make you lose six kgs in six weeks,’ like a miracle result. Like ‘I will promise you…’ and again, we will guarantee results to some extent, it depends on how you are doing it right? If you come into the gym, our average membership length is 2.6 years. Why is it so long? Because we do not promise something we can't deliver. I guarantee everyone coming to Rebuild and stick to a program will get stronger, will build muscle mass. We never ever promise someone that they will look a certain way within a certain time period.”

If you're being promised to look a certain way in a set amount of time, run the boys say. Sean suggests you stay away from “any program that says it will give you a six-pack in like 12 weeks or less, or ones that get you to start off doing one crunch and by day 10, you’ll be able to do 100 crunches a day.”

James breaks it down by pointing out some harsh realities. “I have seen these ads everywhere, you see them on influencers' pages where they promote a six-minutes ab routine which I get, maybe it is their six-minutes ab routine, but they are not promising it,' he says.

'And because they have got abs, people go, ‘Oh, it must work,’ - it's like with crunches or any step exercise, you can do thousands of them, it doesn’t mean you're going to get anywhere close to having a six-pack. The only reason you going to have a six-pack is if your body fat is low enough. And I can get you a six-pack in 12 weeks too, as long as your diet really hard. Prepare to be really hungry.”

Another scam or red flag you need to steer clear of are products that are apparently tailored to your body type, and people who sell them.

Despite these products having been called out several times, the concept and idea being debunked by certified and licensed nutritionists, people still buy into the idea since it requires less effort.

“Be on the lookout for anyone selling any products or programs based on your body type. There is that super-super popular V shred that you see pop up on your feed, these ‘right for body type’ products, or ones made for mesomorphs and ectomorphs and what not. Then this person claims that these certain exercises or dietary methods you should follow for your body type. It’s simple - there is no eating right for your body type. They are trying to say that if you struggle to put on weight, you need to eat more carbs nutrient-dense foods, or more protein, it’s like you need to eat the specific food at this specific time because you are this body type and for XYZ reasons when it’s totally not that way,” says Sean.

As certified nutritionists themselves, the Rebuild boys know their way around the health and fitness industry; or at least have learned every step of the way to bring them to where they are now. Having misguided people in their early years as well, they know just how much damage it can cause if you’re not careful while choosing someone who essentially is guiding you and mentoring you through your fitness journey.

Sean believes that the majority of PTs need more education.  “There is no doubt in my mind that the majority of PTs think they are way smarter than what they are. People trust their trainer, you are investing a decent amount of money and expecting to get results, so people trust what they say, but in all honesty, PTs, especially ones who're just finishing their course, know nothing.”

“They have the ability to learn and to give guidance, what they believe is right to some extent,' James agrees. 'But yeah, just go and learn some more, I mean we have made progress in the stuff we said in the past, but none of it was necessarily harmful.'